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Malaysian citizens will reportedly be able to help choose their nation's first astronaut. Malaysia Science Minister Jamaluddin Jarjis said citizens will be able to choose from among a short list of candidates and then vote by text message, the BBC reported Wednesday. The Malaysian astronaut is to take part in a Russian-led space mission in 2007. The would-be astronaut candidates' profiles and their progress during training will be posted on the Internet. Citizens will then be allowed to vote and Malaysian space agency officials will take those votes into consideration when they make their selection, officials said. If the contest proves popular and the government charges for the votes, it may even be able to cover the cost of its space program, the BBC reported. Of the 11,000 initial candidates, officials say only 200 of them have been able to run the required 2.2 miles in less than 20 minutes and pass the space agency's medical examination. All rights reserved. © 2005 United Press International. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by United Press International.. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of United Press International. Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express 
World's Third Space Tourist Ready For Journey
Moscow, Russia (XNA) Sep 12, 2005The world's third space tourist Gregory Olsen has been given the go ahead for his Oct 1 flight to the International Space Station aboard a Russian vehicle, a space official said. |
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